Donald Trump
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The Palestinian National Council (PNC) strongly criticized the American administration's decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May, coinciding with Israel’s 70th Independence Day.

A statement by the PNC, which is essentially the parliament of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said, "The American administration's insistence on implementing its aggressive decision proves once again that it chose isolation and to distance itself from peace for the sake of the occupation, and that it chose hostility to Arabs and Muslims throughout the world, and chose to ignite further tension and instability in the region."

The PNC warned that "the current American administration will bear the consequences of its decision, which harms the faith and feelings of Arabs and Muslims throughout the world and in humanity in general."

The PNC demanded that the Arab and Islamic nation protect the city of Al-Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem -ed.) and its holy sites and take every opportunity to thwart the move of the American embassy to the "occupied city."

It added that the American embassy move will not add any legitimacy to the "occupation" because peace and security in the region and the world will not be achieved as long as the Palestinians do not fully receive their rights in the city of Al-Quds.

On Friday, after the State Department announced the date of the embassy move, senior PLO official Saeb Erekat blasted the decision and said, "The American administration's decisions to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and choose the Palestinian people's Nakba as the date for this step is a blatant violation of international law.”

Erekat warned that the result of the American move would be "the destruction of the two-state option, as well as a blatant provocation to all Arabs and Muslims."

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas, said, “This is an unacceptable step. Any unilateral move will not give legitimacy to anyone and will be an obstacle to any effort to create peace in the region.

The Hamas terrorist organization, which rules Gaza, also condemned the American decision.

“Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem is a declaration of war against the Arab and Muslim nation, and the U.S administration must reconsider its move,” said the group’s spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri.

Moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a central campaign promise of President Donald Trump’s. In December, he announced that he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordered the State Department to begin preparations for the embassy move.